Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedans

Comments

I've got one. With 7 gears you don't have to floor the gas. There is neck snapping torque underfoot no matter how much or little you depress the accelerator. Need 7 gears? No. Its always in the right powerband.

Has anyone got a way to keep the dead pedal/left footrest carpeted area from turning black & soggy? I've got the stone interior, and this winter has made a huge black oval in the carpet. Why didn't they glue a vinyl patch to the carpet over there, or put a color matching dead pedal on it? That carpet is gonna wear & fray particularly on the corner drop off to the floor. Suggestions?

I couldn't agree more with the comment about the "bucking horse" ride at low speeds. I have a 2003 E-320 which on the whole thus far has proven to be a very good car. However at low speeds the shifting is very erratic and this is terribly annoying especially in local driving. The car sometimes feels like it has no power and when you kick the gas a little it shifts and jumps forward. I complained to my MB dealer and the service manager took it for a ride and said that this was normal for the car and there was no fix for it. My neighbor who has the same car has had the same experience. This is a major disappointment to me and as soon as I can find another car that I like I will probably get rid of the car.

My 2000 E430 sport is a keeper after reading the posts about the new E. Mine, with only 24,000 miles, has been a really good car. A couple of adjustments have been made at the dealer in the last four years.

Now, my 2002 ML has had more issues during it's 27,000 miles than my "E". Nothing life shattering, but enough to make me think I'll look at a different brand because I might not get a "good" one next time. I don't want to live at the dealership!

I am looking at ordering the new 2004E sedan 4 matic and the car I am about to order has the optional "drive-dynamic seats" which move while you corner. Question - 1. does anyone now own a car with this option? 2. is there a switch to turn this off? 3. how do you like it?Thanks!

Love them. Fun, Fun, Fun. The faster you are going the more they react. In the Vehicle settings area of the program, you can select to have them operate or not, and select which of 2 response levels you want them to respond at. Default is on, level 2.If I remember, I believe it is selectable for either front seat.The side bolsters must be adjusted "inward" to hold you slightly 1st, otherwise they are too wide open for you to feel the inflation/deflation. which is instantaneous.Neat little feature! Necessary? No. Neat? Yes!

According to my dealer source, the initial release of the CDI will only be RWD. However, it seems that Mercedes is offering 4-matic in almost every model, so perhaps it will be offered on the CDI next model year.

Curious, though, what is your take on 4-matic. I have really gotten a lot of mixed reviews, ranging from "wouldn't buy one without it" to "open your wallet for repairs after 4-5 years". I'm wondering if having all of the anti-skid, limited slip, etc. on RWD doesn't make today's RWD a lot better than yesteryears. Even with 4-matic, most of the Benz's in our neighborhood sat parked during the snow and ice this year and everyone went to their SUV anyway. The idea of a 4-matic CDI appeals to me, but not if the $2,000+ future repair bills I've heard rumors of are true.

For my money a dedicated set of winter wheels shod with snow tires is a far better answer to winter driving than AWD. I am currently driving a 530i and have such a set of winter wheels for it, and even though we had 114 inches of snow here in our town last winter, my car wasn't stranded even a single day.

Now that Mr. Bangle & cohorts have destroyed the 5-Series, and now that the E320 CDI is likely to be available, I am seriously considering jumping ship to the E-Class, even though it does not have a manual transmission. Unfortunately, I seriously doubt that the wheels from the 2002 530i will fit a 2005 E320 CDI. "Ummm, hello TireRack?" ;-)

I haven't heard about problems with 4-matic. Yours and Shipo's comments about snow tires makes sense, I'm probably getting caught up in the hype. On the other hand, snow tires (at least from what I remember) don't ride all that well and wear out after a while. Depending on how long you own the car, a couple thousand more may equal snow tires and wheels.

Greasykid1---- I have a 2000 E-430 sport. I would check the sunvisor vanity mirror covers to make sure they are not broken. Both of mine broke off about a week apart after about a year. They were replaced under warranty.

The other item were as follows:

-The clock would lose about 3 minutes a month. The whole instrument panel needed to be replaced.

-one fog light became out of alignment (replaced fog light assembly)

In 24,000 miles and 52 months of ownership, that's all that I've had done other than regular maintenance.

Thanks Barry - two other questions:1. Is there a noise when the seats adjust (noticeable?)?2. With this option also comes the perforated seats that cool with air...again - noise from the fan? Thoughts? Also do the seats look good fully perforated?

The seats are awesome, comfortable & silent. The picture of the seat adjustments panel located under the drivers right knee is upside down in the manual. It will make you crazy because the printing on the buttons is correct in the manual. The on off button for the inflating cushions is located on the front of the seat facing the gad pedal, so its hard to know if it is on without driving & turning. If u want it on all the time, (I do) be sure to turn it on, THEN memorize your seat position. (Before you memorize the seat position, memorize the parking mirror down position).

"On the other hand, snow tires (at least from what I remember) don't ride all that well and wear out after a while."

"Times" my friend, they have achanged. ;-) I am running Michelin Arctic-Alpin tires on my 530i, and they are easily as quiet and ride better than the OEM rubber. That said, it's not quite an "apples to apples" comparison, with the OEM rubber being 235/45-17 performance tires while the snows are 225/55-16 that have a taller side wall and a much more compliant ride. As for tire wear, I have about equal miles on both sets, and the snow have actually worn better than the summer tires. In the end, they are going to save me money because I won't have to replace the expensive summer tires as often.

Sorry to bring this up again, but a search in the eastern Mass. area at dealers show NO E430 wagons and just these E320 wagons at prices that are far above what people are claiming were too high at $34,900 for a 2000 E430 AWD.. I guess the supply of used wagons with AWD here inthe northeast has bumped the prices up about $6-8 grand above what other parts of the country are paying.. Or at least the dealers are asking these prices. They are all Starmarked...

Similar pricing exists for the sedans also, which is what I'm looking for.. A 2000 E320 with 2 wheel drive and approx. 40K miles is listed for about $32K.

I don't think there is such a thing as an E430 Wagon, but thanks for the numbers. I'm starting to wish I had gone ahead and bought the Benz, the seats in my Infiniti FX35 are very tight and uncomfortable due to the placement of the seat controls on the right side leg bolster (much better to put them on the door like MB does). The Wagon that I had been looking at, BTW, has already been sold from the dealer, I'd be curious to know what someone paid for it.

When I purchase my 2001 E320, I gleaned from this site the name of a person that was cutting good deals on the MB Extended Warranty. I've sold the E320 and am purchasing a new S430. I can't find the Warranty person's name. I think it was a Lisa somebody. Anybody out there can help?

Sometime in the near future (05' model year) I would bet that the "E320" will become the "E350" to reflect the new 3.5L DOHC Direct-injection V6 making it's debut in the 2005 SLK350. This engine makes 268hp in the SLK. I don't expect the E350 to be quite that powerful, but you can expect at least 250hp, and the 7-Seed automatic also.

Since the 545i, new A6 4.2. both have 325hp or more, I also expect a new direct-injection V8 to make its debut in the 2006 S-Class, this will no doubt be shared with the E-Class of the same year.

The E55 may, and I mean may get a new 6.3L V8 (600hp) based on the same direct-injection V8 that will debut in the new S-Class. Mercedes has history of making engine swaps for the second-half of an AMG car's production run. Witness the 2001-2002 CL55, 2001-2002 S55, and C32 to C55 transformations.

I'd say that the entire E-Class will get its first "facelift" for 2006 or 2007, depending on its popularity up to that point.

As far as I understood, MB never offered any discount to the new cars. Monday, I went to a dealer in NJ, they offered me 3k off from MSRP for both E500 and CLK500. Did MB change their policy to offer dicounts again?

It's a free country and Massachusetts' dealers can ask whatever they want for E320 Wagons if the buying public is willing to pay it. However, I uncovered my old deal that I did not take on a brand new 2001 E320 4-matic wagon, E1, multicontour seats and metallic paint dated June 4, 2001: $46,650. Price included destination, not taxes or tags. Price on a non 4-matic was $43,950.

Now if someone wants to pay $40k+ for a 3 year old car with 27-45k miles on the odometer, I'm not sure who is dumber - them, or me for not buying the car new in 2001.

siulobow,

Mercedes doesn't discount?? Nice urban legend, but every dealer does their own thing. The aforementioned deal was one of the few times Mercedes offered a $2,000 factory to dealer incentive on the E class that I am aware of, but the dealer I work with will discount just about any model, some more, some less.

Right now, as we speak, you can also get a flat 7% off the MSRP by going through European Delivery. I believe they throw in a few goodies relative to lodging and meals for a night or two.

You're right on the European Delivery Program. I just ordered an E320 4matic for delivery in May. MB pays for one nights lodging, a meal, transfers from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the factory, 15 days insurance and there is no destination charge. The only thing I thought was a little strange was that the residual on my lease was less than the same car delivered directly to the dealer. As far as price was concerned, there was no negotiation. I spoke to several dealers are got the same response from each.

I bought an 8 year extended factory warranty for our '01 E-320 on 4-14-02 from Lisa Lehrbaum at Courtesy Motors in Chino CA. 1-800-655-3535 or 1-530-893-1300. Fax 1-530-893-1131. Terms and conditions may have change since then.

For the 2nd time since December, I started the car to go to work, radio came on, radio started crackeling, then radio sound quit. CD changer still plays w/ sound but 3 minutes later, still no radio sound.... any similar experiences/solutions? How do I get the radio sound back. Will try the radio lunch time.

I'm considering buying a 2001 or 2002 E320 with less than 50k miles. I would need AWD. I've never owned a Mercedes. Questions: Just how many miles will a well-kept one go? I've heard that some make it to 500,000 or more. Any other buying advise anyone has? Thanks.

want to see if this is happening at all MB dealership. reserved my e320 4matic last Aug. finally got my pick up call last week.(i'm already paying sticker). but now my dealer wants to add a $675 fee, 'cause the Euro went up. not that it's a lot of money. but something tells me, had the euro gone done, they wouldn't be offerring me a rebate of some kind.